Indonesia's Tourism Continues to Grow with 6 Million Foreign Tourists Arrivals

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Tourism Minister, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, stated that Indonesia's tourism sector will continue to show positive performance throughout 2026. This is indicated by an increase in foreign tourist visits, domestic tourism, and a surplus of tourist arrivals that contribute to the country's foreign exchange earnings.

She revealed that in May 2026, the number of foreign tourist visits will reach 1.38 million, an increase of 5.83 percent compared to May 2025. "Cumulatively, from January to May 2026, Indonesia recorded 6.07 million foreign tourist visits, a growth of 7.68 percent compared to the same period in 2025," Widiyanti said in a press conference at the Indonesia's Communications Agency (Bakom RI) office, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Jakarta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Furthermore, domestic tourist travel also recorded a positive trend. In May 2026, domestic tourism grew 8.69 percent annually, while from January to May 2026, it reached 523.22 million trips, a 2.86 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Widiyanti explained that Indonesia also recorded a surplus of foreign tourist visits compared to the number of Indonesians traveling abroad. From January to May 2026, the surplus reached 2.37 million visits, a 32.49 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

According to her, this achievement demonstrates the growing contribution of the tourism sector to state foreign exchange earnings. "This achievement reflects the increasing contribution of the tourism sector to state foreign exchange earnings," Widiyanti said.

To maintain this momentum, the Ministry of Tourism is implementing five priority programs: improving tourism safety, developing tourist villages, promoting quality tourism, Events by Indonesia, and Tourism 5.0, which focuses on digitalizing tourism services. These five programs are implemented to improve the quality of destinations while strengthening Indonesia's tourism competitiveness.

Widiyanti also stated that Indonesia won second place as Muslim-Friendly Destination of the Year at the 2026 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) Awards, with a score of 79, a three-place increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the 39 Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) events held through June 2026 attracted approximately 2.46 million visitors, involved more than 7,200 MSMEs, and generated an economic turnover of IDR 196.97 billion.

The Minister affirmed that collaboration between all stakeholders is key to maintaining the growth of the tourism sector. "With strong synergy, we are optimistic about building a sustainable, inclusive, globally competitive tourism ecosystem that can distribute its economic benefits equitably to the community," she said.